Car card holder



E. T. DOHERTY CAR CARD HOLDER Nov. 8; 1938.

Filed April 26, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet l (20 Inventor Edward ZIDo/zerjiy H/s vfli'i'y.

Nov. 8, 1938. E. T. DOHERTY 2,135,567

CAR CARD HOLDER Filed April 26, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Inventor Patented Nov. 8, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIE 'CAR CARD HOLDER Application April 26, 1937, Serial No. 138,973

6 Claims.

This invention relates toa car card holder.

It isan object of this invention to provide an improved car card holder which is relatively simple and inexpensive in construction and efiicient in use.

In the use of railway freight cars, including box cars and the like, it is customary to attach so-called defect and joint evidence cards to the sides of the cars so as to indicate, in the first-mentioned instance, the defects which exist in the cars and the nature of the repairs which are required thereby, and so as to convey, in the second-named instance, information or data relative to a freight car which has been handled by two or more railroads and to which car, or the contents thereof, damage has occurred in the transit of the car. This practice is open to a number of objections, among which are the facts that it is slow and is costly from the standpoint of labor involved, and the cards readily become detached from the cars and lost, thereby making it likely that the repairs needed by the car will not be made thereon, and that the evidentiary data contained on the so-called joint evidence cards will be lost, thus increasing the hazard involved in operating the car, and the likelihood (of accident, and causing the loss of valuable evience.

Another object of the present invention, thereand joint evidence car cards which, in use, will overcome theforegoing and other difficulties experienced in the present practice and by means of which such car cards may be readily mounted upon, and retained in, and removed from, their position of use upon a railway freight car.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a so-called defect and joint evidence 40 car card holder in the use of which the card. disposed therein may be readily seen from out side the holder while still being protected against the action of the weather.

A further object of the invention is to con- 5 struct the new car card holder in such a manner that so-called defect and joint evidence cards may be inserted into the same and removed therefrom without necessitating that the workmans fingers come into contact with the 50 side of the car, thus preventing the workman from getting slivers, from the side of the car,

into his fingers when the new card holder is used upon wooden box cars and the like.

It has been found, in the use of that form of the new car card holder whichis shown in Figs.

fore, is to provide a holder for so-called defect- 1 to 3, inclusive, of the drawings, that there is a tendency for the metal which forms the combination finger grip and latch member on the closure member or door of the same to crystallize and either lose its resiliency and hence its usefulness as a latch member, or else to break off entirely, as a result of prolonged use and bending incidental to manipulation.

Another object of the present invention, therefore, is to construct one form of the new car card holder in such a manner that the finger grip which is formed integrally with, and as a part of, the closure member or door of the same, does not function as a latch member and is constructed in such a manner that it will not bend or break off due to prolonged manipulation and use as a finger grip.

A further object of the present invention is to construct one form of the new car card holder in such a manner that the finger grip which is attached to, and forms a part of the closure member or door, does not function as a part of the latching device for keeping the door or closure member in closed position, and to construct this form of the new car card holder in such a manner that the latching device for keeping the closure member or door in closed position is entirely independent of the finger grip or spring clip which is formed on, and as a part of, the closure member or door.

It has also been found, in the use of that form of the new car card holder which is shown in Figs. 1 to 3, inclusive, of the drawings, that there is a possibility that the closure member or door on the same may be left unlatched or open, by the workman, or become unlatched when in use, and that if the car on which this form of the new car card holder is mounted is then subjected to a violent shock or bump, such as frequently occursduring the use of railway freight cars, the defect or joint evidence card in this form of the new car card holder may be dislodged therefrom through the open end of the same, thereby causing loss of the card.

Still another object of the present invention, therefore, is to construct one form of the new car card holder in such a manner that the same is provided, at its open end, with a retaining edge portion or wall, by means of which the card in the holder will be prevented from being dislodged therefrom through the open end of the holder should the closure member or door on the latter be allowed to remain in open position, or become unlatched during use, and the freight car on which the holder is mounted be subjected to the usual bumps and shocks which are incidental to the handling of railway freight cars.

A further object of the invention is to construct the new car card holder'in such a manner that it embodies a housing or casing having an open end through which car cards may be inserted into and withdrawn from the housing, and a closure member or door hingedly mounted on the said body and normally closing the said open end thereof, and a spring arranged entirely within the housing, normally urging the said door or closure member into closed position, and so arranged that it is protected by the housing when the holder is in use and is prevented from being tampered with or corroded by the weather as well as from being damaged by flying particles of material which may be dislodged from the road bed when the car on which the holder is used is in transit.

Other objects will appear hereinafter.

The invention consists in the novel combina- 7 tion and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter described and claimed.

The invention will be best understood by reference to the accompanying drawings showing the preferred form of construction, and in which:

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of one form of the new car card holder;

Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical sectional view on line 22 in Fig. 1; r v

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view of the same on line 33 in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a perspective View of a modifled'form of the new car card holder showing the closure member or doorin open position; 7

Fig. 5 is a central, vertical and longitudinal sectional view of the card holder which is shown in Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a transverse vertical line 6-6 in Fig. 5; and V Fig. '7 is a horizontal sectional view, partly in top plan, on line l'! in Fig. 5.

One form of the new car card holder, shown in Figs. 1 to 3, inclusive, of the drawings, is therein generally indicated at Hl, and comprises a container or holder body II which includes a front wall I2 and a rear wall l3, the said front and rear walls l2 and I3 being spaced from each other (Fig. 2). The container or holder body I! is closed at one end by a transverse orend wall M, which extends between the front, wall l2 and the rear wall l3, and the container body it has an open end l5 which is normally closed by a door or closure member I6, this door or closure member liibeing hingedly mounted upon the container body H, as at H, and being normally urged, by a spring I8, into closed position, as in Fig. 3.

The container body H has a flange (9 at its upper end and a flange 28 at its lower end, the upper flange l9 being provided with openings or holes 2|, and the lower flange 20 being provided with openings or holes 22, so that the holder may be attached to the side wall of a box car, or other freight car, by inserting suitable fasteningelements, such as screws, through the holes 2! and 22.

Formed in the front wall I2 of the container body H is a sight opening 23 (Figs. 1 and 2), and provided on the door It, at the bottom thereof, isa combination resilient or spring flnger grip and latch member 24 and this latch member 24 is latchingly engageable with a latch sectional view on Provided in the bottom wall 26 of the card holder l2 are two spaced drain openings 21 through which any water'that may enter into the new card holder will drain therefrom.

In the use of the new car card holder the same may be attached to the side of a box car or other support on which-it may be desired to support a so-called defect? or joint evidence card, by insertingscrews or the like through the holes 2| and 22, and the door [6 may be opened, against the action of the spring I8, by grasping the combination finger grip and latch'member 24 and unlatching the same from the latch keeper 25, whereupon a defect or joint evidence card, or analogous card, may be inserted into the holder body H through the open end l5 thereof and in a direction parallel to the Wall of the car on which the holder is mounted, and when thus inserted into the holder body 12, the said car card will rest upon the bottom wall 26 of the holder or container body II and when thus disposed it may readily be seen through the sight opening 23 while at the same time being protected against the weather.

In order to remove a car card from the holde body I! it is merely necessary to grasp the combination finger grip and latch member 24 and unlatch the same from the latch keeper 25 and move the door l6 into open position, against the action of the spring l8, whereupon the car card may be removed from the holder body I I through the open end I5 thereof, and in a direction parallel to the wall of the canon which the new car card holder is mounted.

- It is to be noted (Fig. 2) that the rear wall l3 of the new car card holder is offset from the plane of the top and bottom flanges I9 and 20, respectively, so that when the holder is mounted upon a wooden box, car or fiat car, or analogous wooden freight car, and the workman is inserting a card into the holder, or is removing the same therefromrhis fingers will not come into contact with the wooden wall of the car body 29 which includes spaced and parallel and vertically extending front and rear walls 30 and 3| and horizontally extending bottom and top walls 32 and 33' which extend therebetween. The top and bottom Walls 33 and 32 are provided with attaching means in the form of flanges 34 and 35, respectively, and these flanges are provided with apertures 36 and 31 for the re ception of nails, screws or the like by which the said holder body 29 may be attached to the wall of a railway freightcar or the like; it being noted that the attaching flanges 34 and 35 are offset (Fig. 6) from the vertical plane of the rear wall 3!, for reasons hereinbeforeset forth relative to the offsetting of the flanges l9 and 20 from the vertical plane of the rear wall [3 in the form of the new. car card holder which is shown in Figs. 1 to 3, inclusive.

It will be noted, by a comparison of Figs. 1 and 4, that the-form of the new car card holder which is shown in Figs. 1 to 3, inclusive, opens at the f right hand end of the same, relative to its position when in use, whereas the form of the new car card holder which is shown inFigs. 4 to 7, inclusive, opens at'the left hand end of the same, relative to its position when in use. This, of

course, is an optional matter and the new car card holder may be made so as to open at either end, as desired. I

Pivotally or hingedly mounted, as at 38, upon the container body 29 of the card holder 28, adjacent the open end of the latter, is a closure member or door 39 which is substantially channelshaped in cross section so that it may telescopically fit over the open end of the card holder body 29; this closure member or door 39 being normally urged into closed position by means of a spring 43 (Fig. 6). Formed integrally with the end wall 40 of the door or closure member 39 is a finger grip 4| which is made of relatively still? and rigid metal such, for example, I as steel. Formed in the finger grip 4|, and extending centrally and longitudinally thereof. and integral with, and extending part way up, the end wall 40 of the closure'member ordoor 39, is a strengthening and reenforcing rib 42, the purpose of which will be explained hereinafter.

Formed in the vertical side wall .4 of the closure member or door 39 is a latch element in the form of an opening 45'and latchingly engageable or receivable in this opening 45 is a complementary latch element 46 which is provided on the front wall 39 of the cardholder body 29.

Formed, preferably as an integral and upward extension of the bottom wall 32 of the holder body 29, at the open end of the latter (Fig. 4) is a retaining wall 41 which extends transversely between the front and rear walls and 3| of the card holder body 29.

In the use of that form of the new car card holder which is shown in Figs-4 to '7, inclusive, the hinged closure'member or door 39 may be unlatched and opened, against the action of the spring 43, by grasping the finger grip 4| and exerting a slight manual pressure thereon, whereupon a so-called defect or joint evidence card or the like may be inserted into the holder body 29, through the open end thereof, and when thus inserted will rest upon the bottom wall 32 of the same and, should the closure member or door 39 come open, or be broken ofi, for any reason, the defect or joint evidence card arranged in the card holder body 29 will be prevented, by the transverse retaining wall 41, from being ejected from the holder body 29, through the open end thereof. when the car upon which the holder body is mounted is subjected to the usual bumps and shocks to which railway freight cars are subjected when in use.

It will also be noted that in the form of the new car cardholder which is shown in Figs. 4 to 7, inclusive, the latching device 45-46, for latching the closure member or door 39 in closed position, is entirely independent of the finger grip 4|, rather than being associated with the latter, as in the form of the new card holder which is shown in Figs. 1 to 3, inclusive, and hence it is not necessary to bend the finger grip 4| to unlatch the closure member or door 39, as is necessary in connection with that form of the new car card holder which is shown in Figs. 1 to 3. inclusive, and in which the finger grip 24 forms part of the latching device for the closure member or door, thus preventing the metal which forms the finger grip 4| from crystallizing at the bend in the same, due to constant and repeated use, and thus preventing the same from eventually crackling and breaking off, as is apt to happen in connection with the finger grip 24 on the card holder l0. Furthermore, in order better to prevent the finger grip 4| from being bent, when in use,

due to the strain which must be put on the same in order to unlatch and open the door 39, (and which strain is, compared to that which must be applied to the finger grip 24, relatively slight) the finger grip 4| is provided with the longitudinally and centrally extending reenforcing rib 42 which is integral with, and extends part way up, the end wall of the door 39 and with which wall the finger grip 4| is continuous and integral, thus preventing the finger grip 4| from being bent at the turn or bend 48 in the same and hence preventing the metal in the same from becoming crystallized and causing the finger grip 48 to crack or break off when in use.

It will be seen, therefore, from the foregoing description, considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, that the present invention provides a new car card holder which is especially adapted for use in holding so-called defeet and joint evidence cards on railway freight cars, and which when in use has the hereinbefore mentioned distinct advantages over the present practice of attaching these cards to the side walls of the cards by means of nails, tacks, or the like. It is to be understood, however, that while the new car card receptacle or holder has been described as being designed primarily for use in .holding "'defect and joint evidence cards on railway freight cars it may also be used for supporting cards on other objects such, for

example, as on trucks, buildings, building construction jobs as well as repair and wrecking jobs. or wherever else it may be desired to mount a card and to protect the same against accidental removal and the action of the weather.

It will be noted that in both forms of the new car card holder which are shown in the drawings the closure members or doors l6 and 39 are normally urged by their respective springs, l8 and 43, into closed position so as to close the open end of the holder, and that these springs l8 and 43, being mounted on the pintles l1 and 38, respectively, and being arranged, as shown, entirely within the casing or housing of the corresponding holder is entirely protected by the body of the holder from being tampered with or from being corroded or destroyed by the action of the weather, as well as from being damaged by flying particles dislodged from the road bed over which the car carrying the holder is moved when in transit. It is also to be noted, in connection with this matter, that this is an important feature of the new car card holder since it is essential to such a car card holder that the closure member or door of the same be kept in closed position at all times so as to prevent the car card contained therein from being dislodged or ejected from the holder through the open end thereof'and hence lost.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred forms of construction for carrying my invention into efiect, these are capable of variation and modification, without departing from the spirit of the invention. I, therefore, do not wish to be limited to the precise details of construction set forth, but desire to avail myself of such variations and modifications as come within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. A car card holder comprising a holder or container body having an open end through which a card may be inserted into and removed from the same in a direction parallel to the wall of a car on which the said card holder is mounted,

said bodyincluding a front wall and a rear wall spaced from each other and the latter having flanges formed thereon one at the top and one at the bottom thereof and said flanges being provided with aperatures through which fastening elements may be inserted so as to attach the said card holder to a support, a closure member hingedly mounted upon the said body for closingthe said'open end thereof, means normally urging the said closure member into closed position, and means normally latching the said closure member in closed position, saidrear wall being offset forwardly fromgthe plane of the said flanges so that when the said card holder is in use a card may be manually inserted into and removed from the same through the said open end thereof without .manual contact with the wall of the car on which the said card holder is mounted. 7

2. A car card holder comprising a holder or container body having an open end through which a card may be inserted into and removed from the same in a direction parallel to the wall of the car on which the said holder is mounted, said body including a front wall and a rear wall spaced from each other, said'body having .attaching means formed thereon one at the top and one at the bottom thereof for attaching the same to a support, a closure member hingedly mounted upon the said body for closing the said open end thereof, means normally urging the said closure member into closed position, and means normally latching the said closure member in closed position, said rear wall being offset forwardly from-the plane of the saidattaching means so that when the said cardholder is in use a card may be normally inserted into and removed from the same through the said open end thereof without 'manualcontact with the wall of the car on which the said card holder is mounted.

3. A car card holder comprising an oblong rectangular-shaped container body including spaced and parallel vertically extending front and rear walls and adapted to beattached to the wall of a railway'freight car and having an open end through which a car card may be inserted into the same in a direction parallel to the wall of the car on which the said card holder is mounted, a closure member or door hingedly mounted upon the said holder body, substantially channel-shaped in cross section, and normally closing the said open end of the same, and means for latching the said closure member or door in closed position, said latching means consisting of a latching element provided on the aforesaid vertically extending front wall of the'said holder body and a complementary latching element provided on one of the side walls of the said closure member or door and latchingly engageable with the said first-named latch element, said car card holder including a-finger grip formed integrally with the said closure member or door and having a portion projecting below the bottom wall of the said holder body when the said closure member or door is in closed position, said finger grip being provided with a central and longitudinally extending reenforcing and strengthening rib and the latter having a portion extending partially up the end wall of the said closure member or door so as to resist bending of the said finger grip dur- .lng the operations of unlatching and opening the said closure member or door.

4. A car card holder comprising an oblong rectangular-shaped container body including I spaced and parallel vertically extending front and rear walls adapted to be attached to the wall of arailway freight car and having an open end through which a car card may be inserted into the same in a direction parallel 'to the wall of the car on which the saidcard holder is mounted, a closure member or door hingely mounted upon the said holder body and normally closing the said open end of the same, and means for latching the said closure member or door in closed position, said latching means consisting of a latching element provided on one of the aforesaid vertical walls of the said holder body and a complementary latching element provided on-the said closure member ordoor and latchingly engageable with the said first-named latch element, said car card holder including a finger grip formed integrally with thesaid closure member or door and having a portion projecting below the bottom wall of the said holder body when the said closure memberor door is in closed position, said finger grip being provided with a central and longitudinally extending 'reenforcing and strengthening rib and the latter having a'portion extendingpartially up the end wallof the said closure member or door so as to resist bending of the said finger grip during the operations of unlatching andopening the said closure member or door. r t V 5. A car cardholder comprising an oblong, rectangular-shaped container body adapted to be attached to the wall of a railway freight car and having an open end through which a car card may be inserted into the same'through the said open end thereof and in a direction parallel to the wall of arailway freight car on which the said card holder'is mounted, a closure member or door hingedly mounted upon the said holder body and normally closing the said open end of the sameysaid closure member or door being substantially channel-shaped in' cross section and having a finger grip formed integrally therewith at the bottom thereof,said finger grip being provided with a centrally and longitudinally extending-reenforcing and strengthening rib and the latter being continuous'and integral with, and extending part way up, the end wall of the said closure memberor door so as to resistbending of the said finger gripduringthe operation of opening the said closure member 'or door.

= 6. A car card holder comprising'an oblong,

rectangular-shaped holder body having means for mounting the same on thewall'of a railway freight car and having an open end through which a car card may be inserted into the same in a direction parallel to the wallof a railway freight car on which the said cardholder is mounted, said holder body including vertically extending, spaced, parallel, front and rear walls,

a closure member hingedly mounted upon the said holder body at the said open end of the latter and normally closing the same, and means normally urging the said closure member into closed position, said holder body including a retaining wall extending transversely thereof be- :tween the said front, and rear walls at the bottom and at the said open end of the same for preventing a card card disposed in the said holder body from being forcibly and accidentally ejected therefrom through the said open end thereof ,when the said closure member 0r-door is in 

